The Royals transferred Cruz (personal) from the paternity list to the restricted list Sunday.
After going on paternity leave Thursday, Cruz spent the maximum three days on the list. Rather than having Cruz return for the season finale Sunday versus the Guardians, the Royals instead shifted him to the restricted list, which opened up a spot on the 40-man roster for James McArthur (elbow), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Cruz finished the 2026 season with a 4.30 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 65:20 K:BB in 58.2 innings and will likely be added back to the 40-man roster this offseason.